If I want to make a phone call, I have to go through a relay operator since I am deaf. Sometimes it works if the person I am calling is someone who knows me, but if I have to call a business or make a doctor’s appointment, the person answering the phone often gets confused and hangs up, thinking I am a telemarketer or a spammer. I’m not sure if the problem lies in that people simply don’t understand this is a deaf person calling through a relay operator, or if the relay operator is doing a poor job explaining the service to them during the introductory call. Either way, it is frustrating as hell, and I often choose businesses that have online ordering or email over businesses that don’t so I can avoid having to use a relay operator as much as possible. All of my doctors have online appointment schedulers and my hair stylist & manicurist have email access.
Today was special. I want to make bœuf bourguignon tonight, and I need a solid block of bacon to make lardons from. I wanted to call three butcher shops in San Francisco; Guerra’s, Avedano’s, and Bryan’s. Since they’re all spread far apart and I am relying on pubic transportation, I wanted to call first instead of spending a chunk of my day visiting them in person to see if they have them. Well, I never got to find out if either butcher has what I need, because they all hung up on me before I could ask. Below is my transcript of my call with Guerra’s. As you can see, they hung up on me three times. This is nothing new. I deal with this sort of thing almost every single time I call a business.
I can’t live like this anymore. If someone can tell me how and what I need to do to fix the broken relay system, I will do it. I don’t like whining and complaining. I would like to fix this.
11:07:03 AM Kathryn Hill: call 415-564-0585 ga
11:07:14 AM 711 Relay: Connecting to relay center… to disconnect, type HANGUP or SKSK.
11:07:17 AM 711 Relay: Connected at 2:07pm EST on Thursday, December 10, 2009
11:07:19 AM 711 Relay: Hello! i711.com CA#90003M
11:07:19 AM 711 Relay: THK U DIALING
11:07:22 AM 711 Relay: 415 564 0585
11:07:31 AM 711 Relay: RINGING 1…
11:07:37 AM 711 Relay: (AUTOMATED SYSTEM)
11:07:53 AM 711 Relay: thank you for calling guerra’s
11:07:55 AM 711 Relay: (recording to relay)
11:08:44 AM 711 Relay: holiday hours for christmas week
11:08:48 AM 711 Relay: are as follows monday december
11:08:55 AM 711 Relay: 21st through wednesday december 23rd
11:09:02 AM 711 Relay: are
11:09:06 AM 711 Relay: from
11:09:11 AM 711 Relay: (garbled message) thursday december 24th christmas eve
11:09:19 AM 711 Relay: are from 9am to 4pm and closed
11:09:23 AM 711 Relay: christmas day our location is
11:09:31 AM 711 Relay: on the corner of 15th and taraville
11:09:42 AM 711 Relay: and we are now accepting holiday orders
11:09:46 AM 711 Relay: for christmas to speak to someone or to
11:09:55 AM 711 Relay: place an order please press
11:09:56 AM 711 Relay: 0 happy holidays thank you GA
11:10:01 AM Kathryn Hill: 0 ga
11:10:10 AM 711 Relay: (pressing 0)
11:10:35 AM 711 Relay: please hold while i transfer you
11:10:35 AM 711 Relay: (ON HOLD)
11:10:37 AM 711 Relay: (advertisement)
11:10:37 AM 711 Relay: (M)
11:10:39 AM 711 Relay: (INTRO CALL PLS HLD)
11:11:12 AM Kathryn Hill: hello I am making lardons and I need a block of uncut solid bacon do you have this q ga
11:11:18 AM 711 Relay: hello this is john can i help you qq
11:11:18 AM 711 Relay: (CALLED PARTY HAS HUNG UP)
11:11:18 AM 711 Relay: (ANOTHER CALL Q GA)
11:11:34 AM Kathryn Hill: redial and tell them I am a customer with a question ga
11:11:43 AM 711 Relay: (thank you redialing please hold)
11:11:53 AM 711 Relay: RINGING 1…
11:11:55 AM 711 Relay: (AUTOMATED SYSTEM)
11:11:59 AM 711 Relay: thank you for calling guerra’s
11:12:05 AM 711 Relay: (navigating to a live person)
11:12:27 AM 711 Relay: (ON HOLD)
11:12:32 AM 711 Relay: (advertisement)
11:12:38 AM 711 Relay: (M)
11:12:38 AM 711 Relay: (INTRO CALL PLS HLD)
11:12:42 AM 711 Relay: (relaying instructions)
11:12:58 AM 711 Relay: (EXPLAINING RELAY)
11:13:13 AM Kathryn Hill: please don’t hang up I have a meat question ga
11:13:32 AM 711 Relay: hello this is robert (too fast)
11:13:34 AM 711 Relay: (sounds hurried)
11:13:34 AM 711 Relay: (CALLED PARTY HAS HUNG UP)
11:13:34 AM 711 Relay: (ANOTHER CALL Q GA)
11:13:42 AM Kathryn Hill: nooo
11:13:47 AM Kathryn Hill: why are they hanging up
11:13:49 AM Kathryn Hill: redial ga
11:14:00 AM 711 Relay: (thank you redialing please hold)
11:14:08 AM 711 Relay: RINGING 1…
11:14:14 AM 711 Relay: (AUTOMATED SYSTEM)
11:14:22 AM 711 Relay: thank you for calling guerra’s
11:14:24 AM 711 Relay: (recording to relay)
11:15:05 AM 711 Relay: holiday hours for christmas week as follows
11:15:11 AM 711 Relay: monday
11:15:12 AM 711 Relay: december 21st through wednesday
11:15:18 AM 711 Relay: december 23rd are from
11:15:23 AM 711 Relay: 9am to 7pm thursday december 24th
11:15:29 AM 711 Relay: christmas
11:15:36 AM 711 Relay: eve are from 9am to 4pm and closed
11:15:42 AM 711 Relay: christmas day our location is on the
11:15:50 AM 711 Relay: corner of 15th and taraville and
11:16:00 AM 711 Relay: we are now accepting
11:16:02 AM 711 Relay: holiday orders for christmas to speak to someone or
11:16:12 AM 711 Relay: to place an order please press
11:16:16 AM 711 Relay: 0 happy holidays thank you GA
11:16:43 AM Kathryn Hill: 0 ga
11:16:50 AM 711 Relay: (pressing 0)
11:16:54 AM 711 Relay: RINGING 1…
11:17:00 AM 711 Relay: xxx
11:17:10 AM 711 Relay: please hold while i transfer you
11:17:10 AM 711 Relay: (ON HOLD)
11:17:12 AM 711 Relay: (music playing)
11:17:23 AM 711 Relay: (M)
11:17:25 AM 711 Relay: (INTRO CALL PLS HLD)
11:17:41 AM 711 Relay: hello this is robert
11:17:43 AM 711 Relay: (CALLED PARTY HAS HUNG UP)
11:17:43 AM 711 Relay: (ANOTHER CALL Q GA)
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I hope you’ve forwarded that transcript to info@guerrameats.com?
In addition to what Tim suggested, you may want to copy your transcript and experience to Michael Bauer of Between Meals at sfgate.com, to educate all local business. I understand that the butcher may be very busy, but spending few minutes on the phone with you is not any more taxing than if you both were in the same store.
I can relate to your experience! It’s so frustrating and I also avoid the relay whenever possible.
Before reading this, I had never heard of, or conceived of relay services. I’ve just gone through all your posts tagged with “relay service” and read the Wikipedia entry on the subject.
Now I’m wondering if I’ve ever hung up on a call like this. I generally have no problem hanging up on a call that sounds like a telemarketer: long pause after I answer, “hi this is joe from…,” or an automated message telling me to hold the line.
I’m wondering what the operator says when the call is answered. If I was at a business, I would think “I have a customer on the line” or “Please don’t hang up on me again” would keep me on the line.
Amazing that something I had never even considered can be causing you such constant frustration. And you can’t be the only one. So shouldn’t the telcoms or whoever trains the operators be hard at work on solving this?
Gah. I used to work in a call center and had to deal with relay operators before. Every now and then, you would get a good one. But more often than not, I had horrible experiences with them. Not the caller, but the operator. Some have been outright rude and refuse to let me talk to them to explain things or ask questions, only reading directly from their script about how it works. Once it was so bad I asked to speak with the relay operator’s manager, because he was making the experience so painful for our customer. He hung up on me before I could do that though.
I wish I had an answer for you. I’m not sure, but I imagine this has more to do with the relay operators than anything, from my experience. Maybe try a different company.